Comparing Herodotus And Voltaire

History is much more than just a chronological flow of dates and events; and it is not merely the biography of kings and famous personalities. It is instead the investigation of the past intended in ample sense; and it comprehends the study of culture, thoughts, habits, political institutions and many other aspects of society. This concept was very clear to Herodotus and Voltaire, two historians that, although lived a totally different period and contest, share some affinities in the way in which they write about the past. They both were interested in the cultural history, in the usefulness of history in the comprehension of the present and in the importance of on field research. Notwithstanding, they investigate the days of yore with different purposes; Voltaire with the aim of supporting his political and philosophical point of view; Herodotus just for the sake of an anthropological and ethnographical accounting.
Both Herodotus and Voltaire examine the past in order to understand the present issues and dynamics. Nonetheless the reasons that drive them to do so are quite different. The aim of Voltaire is to use the previous experiences of other civilizations so that to understand whether their scenarios can be reproducible in other environments. This is wholly clear in its analysis of the
They support a cultural history that helps the understanding of the present of other civilizations of their owns. In their own way they try to be as precise as they can, through the on field research. They both compare their country to others even though with different purposes. And, despite the fact that they see overall history in different perspective, one in a neutral way, the other in a pessimistic one, they both trust in the cultural history as a means to understand the